Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hamilton creator 'frustrated' by London delay

Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the show and played the title role on Broadway

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of hit hip-hop musical Hamilton, has spoken about the "frustrating" delay in bringing the show to London.

The opening was put back by two weeks because of delays in restoring the Victoria Palace Theatre.

That has meant thousands of ticket-holders have now been re-seated.

Miranda said: "It's frustrating. I share the frustration of everyone who had to get re-seated." The first preview will now be on 6 December.

Previews had originally been due to start on 21 November. The official opening night will now take place on 21 December.

Miranda told the Press Association: "This was an unprecedented renovation, I'm anxious to see it."

Rachel John, Rachelle Ann Go and Christine Allado will be among the London cast

The show is one of the biggest Broadway successes for years, winning 11 Tony Awards in 2016. The musical uses hip-hop and rap to tell the life story of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's founding fathers.

It also features an appearance by King George III, who was on the throne when America declared independence in 1776.

Miranda said he was excited to see how the comedic portrayal of George III would be received in the UK.

He said: "King George III is a crowd favourite with every actor, every rapper. When Busta Rhymes saw the show he said 'I need that outfit.'"

He added: "I'm very curious to see how you guys react to King George III in the show. That theatre is in the shadow of Buckingham Palace so I'm very curious to see how that goes over."

The London cast includes a wealth of British talent, including Michael Jibson as George III and Jamael Westman as Alexander Hamilton.

Miranda himself isn't expected to star in the London version, but will play the title role for a three-week run in Puerto Rico in January 2019. He has said he hopes the run will boost tourism on the island in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

The star was speaking to PA to promote a charity ballot for two VIP tickets to the London opening night, in aid of the National Resources Defence Council and the UK-based climate change charity 10:10.

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